2014 Infiniti Q50S 3.7 Long-Term Update 3

Frustrations And Futilities

Now past the 10,000-mile mark with our 2014 Infiniti Q50S, we're enjoying the luxury touches and the car’s performance. What really stands out is the array of technology, especially the safety and self-driving tech that we talked about in our last update.

But at the edges of the user experience, we’ve found some frustrations and things you might even call silly. Infiniti wouldn’t be alone in including superfluous programming -- we hammered on BMW for years for the seemingly jillions of combinations of drive settings possible in some of its cars, let alone the complexity of the company’s launch control, and Hyundai has its steering settings with difficult-to-feel effects.

The waiting game

For the most part, people no longer start their cars, then wait around for a minute before taking off. We want to get in and go. And by “go,” we also mean find a radio station, program the nav, or call up an appropriate commuting song on Bluetooth.

Not gonna happen in the Q50S. It’s as if the software that runs the head unit is being loaded from a data cassette (kids, they were really slow) to a TI-99/4A (also really slow). To gain complete control of all the functions consistently takes between 30 and 40 seconds. If you’ve got somewhere to be, that can feel like an eternity.It’s not a secret. Internet forums are littered with people mentioning the wait. The InTouch manual itself says that due to the number of apps, the system can take “up to a minute” to fully load.

The question is, why? If it’s that the CPU or data transfer is so slow, surely faster options exist for a 2014 car.The good news is that all relevant safety functions boot up first and quickly. So if you’re the sort who starts the car and immediately throws it in reverse, it’s only a very minor delay before the rearview camera takes over the 8-inch top display screen.

Eco mode. Green. Get it?

Fuel-economy fun? Hardly.

My plan was to drive an entire week, or tank of gas (whichever came first), in Eco Mode, one of five drive modes on the Q50S (Snow, Eco, Normal, Sport, Personal) Again, not gonna happen. Though the previous section may have reduced my credentials as a patient man, I tried.Eco mode basically kills the throttle response to encourage you to drive more economically. Additionally, a small green “eco” indicator is illuminated when the computer judges you to be appropriately frugal. It flashes at you, then turns off completely if you’re not saving anything.About that throttle response: It’s painful. Even in stop-and-go Los Angeles traffic, there’s sort of a minimum standard of “go.” And Eco mode prevents it, unless you really stomp on the gas. It basically provides the opposite performance from what you expect from the Q50S sports sedan.The setting can save between 5 and 10 percent. If we end up averaging about 20 mpg, that would save maybe between $150 and $200 per year. I’m doubting somebody who forks over $50,000-plus for a car is going to sweat $200.A better approach to gas savings on luxury sports sedans is the engine stop-start technology employed by Mercedes, BMW, Acura (on the TLX V-6 AWD), and others. It saves without creating a driving experience only a milquetoast would mind.Note: Infiniti recently modified pricing and packaging for the Q50. The beautiful performance wheel package that adorns our long-termer is still available as a factory-installed option, only on the Q50S, for $1800.More on our long-term 2014 Infiniti Q50S 3.7:

I've had my Q50 Premium AWD for just about a year. There are several areas where the G was a superior car, but the inTouch screen is the most dreadful change. If you garage your car as I do, the first thing you will notice each time you start up and back out is that the guidelines for the rear camera don't appear (takes a solid minute at least for them to come on). So, every morning as I leave for work, I am reminded that this system is slow. I'm usually a mile from my house before the radio is ready to play. Why on earth did Infiniti release this car with this terribly slow computer? It is mind boggling. It has turned me off of Infiniti. Coupled with the lousy gas mileage (the Eco setting makes zero improvement in mileage, hurts performance and has to be "selected" each time you turn the car on) Unlike some comments, I got better mileage in my G. The seats are not as supportive as the G's and the ride is much more jittery and less controlled. Thank goodness I leased instead of buying. Unless there are some dramatic changes to this car for the 2016 model when my lease is up, this will be my last Infiniti. VERY disappointing. They took all the fun out of the G with this model.

I leased my q50s awd with Nav and deuxe package in the last month. Eco mode is awful. I start with sport or personal mode which I found the right mix. Unfortunately it defaults to standard mode even if you prefer another mode. (infiniti needs to fix this) The q50 has better mileage than its predecessor G37s. DAS works fine and the suspension communicates the road. The early DAS issues seem resolved and were cold weather related

(23 cars were recalled). The intouch system works well and is fast enough with my trim. Some people speculate base models may have slower cpu or system which could account for long wait times . Actually the interface isn't perfect but works efficiently with combo of buttons and touchscreen. I find it's performance excellent and it is faster and smoother than the 2011 G37x I had previousy. The allseason runflat tires work ok so far and aren't noisy. Overall really like my q50s. It's superior to the G The reviewers who tested the q50 don't mention which mode they tested the car in sport or standard. .I think most reviewers solely focused on DAS which is only part of the car. I had to testdrive nondas vs das gas version vs hybrid car to make sure there wasn't something terrible with the das feel. I didn't find anything amiss. The reviewers gloss over that the q50 is faster, more luxurious, more fuel efficient, and has superior tech to its predecessor.

I love my Q50 Premium AWD. Funny that MT would mention having the car in Eco Mode, as I permanently have it in Eco Mode because gas is so expensive here in Canada. I average just over 22 mpg. I'll admit that I do find throttle response painful, so if I need to get anywhere I just floor it. I also find InTouch takes too long to load. However, I've tested several other infotainment systems and have yet to find a system I prefer. I rented an X1 while in France and found iDrive terrible. In all, I find the Q50 to be a great car with a few bugs that still need to be addressed.

I just had to post, the fail in the review of this car kills me. Disclosure: Lexus Owner, traded for the Q50S Hybrid. Drove 3,4,5 series, Rented a loaded 3 series for 2 weeks prior to buying the Infiniti.

This car is almost perfect in loaded HYBRID trim. In Sport mode with all the nanny crap off, this car is a monster. Here are the issues with the car. Straight up, no bull.

In order to utilize the In-Touch System to its full functionality, you need the App on your smartphone. You need this because it tethers your phone for internet access. (Google Search, FaceBook and some other crap you won't use). This app does not exist, they are "Working on it" apparently since Spring 2013.....

Remote Start: WTH....for a 55K plus car there is no remote start option just aftermarket. AND you need to buy it from Infiniti in order for it to seemlessly tie in to the complex system. 500 for the key fob type, 1000 for the smart phone app. The smartphone app one is a yearly fee. Lame.

Lights: The lights in this car are awesome sans 3 of them. The bottom "Please don't hit my door lights and the read seat lights. They are bulb type when the rest of the car is bright white LEDs. It looks really stupid.

Materials. The entire car is wrapped in this gorgeous leather. The bottoms of the doors are hard plastic. durability reasons? idk

That's all. This car is the quickest of the luxo sedans I drove. In all fairness I did not drive the Audi A5. It is too much money but really they all are. for the close to 60K mark it has it all. I wanted a 4 series coupe and most likely would have gone that route. But by the time I put in all the options that car was 75 grand.

@Ruxor You nailed it! Been an owner for nearly a year and the car can perform with the best of them in its class. The issues I've noticed are the same as you listed. Remote Start should just be a matter of a software change, since you can already lock and unlock your doors from an app - really bothers me Infiniti can't figure that out! The InTouch apps have been a joke too. One day Pandora was there, the next day gone. Poof! I'm going to wear out that Personal Assistant today just for the fun of it!

I'll take your "milquetoast" and raise you a lexiphanicism. How's that for a fancy word? Sorry, but I've seen the word milquetoast used about a dozen or so times on this website and other auto websites and I think it has run its course now. Doesn't anybody know how to use a thesaurus anymore?

It will be fun if someone tries to jack your car. Trying to get in and drive off from a dangerous location will be hair raising for me. There is good Technology and there is OVER Technology. Like my answering machine at home. If I do not pick up a phone call it thinks I am not at home and answers on the first ring every time unless I make a call from home. How about self parking that Lexus and Cadillac now have. I say if you cannot park you should not be driving.